# Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar (/ˈkeɪtər/ KAY-tər; born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist and owner of MMA promotion Combat Zone. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, Kattar formerly competed for EliteXC. As of February 18, 2025, he is #14 in UFC featherweight rankings

## Background

The son of James and Sandra Kattar, Calvin was born and raised in Methuen, Massachusetts. He has Lebanese ancestry. His family runs a golf course. He has two brothers and a sister. After initiating in the sport in ninth grade, Kattar was a standout wrestler at Methuen High School, being ranked as high as eighth in the state (160 pounds) and placing fifth at the Division I MIAA state championships as a senior in 2006. After graduating, he was unsure whether he should wrestle in college or not, and ended up opting to pursue a career in mixed martial arts. He went on to earn an associate degree at Middlesex Community College. In an interview, Kattar expressed that he got a chance to train with Nick and Nate Diaz when he was 19 years old, and how that influenced his way of training, stating:
   “I got like three bloody noses a day. I’m out there dogging it out. I’m by myself. But it was a great opportunity. Long term I was able to see these guys and how they train on the West Coast. Watching the Diaz brothers train at 1 a.m. and realizing you can lie to yourself and say guys aren’t training like that, but somewhere they are. I was exposed to that, which is great."

## Mixed martial arts career

Kattar won eight consecutive bouts and was unbeaten in over seven years competing on the regional circuit primarily in his native New England prior to his UFC career.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kattar made his UFC debut replacing Choi Doo-ho against Andre Fili on July 29, 2017 at UFC 214. Kattar won the fight by unanimous decision.
Kattar faced undefeated prospect Shane Burgos on January 20, 2018 at UFC 220. Kattar won the fight via technical knock out in round three. The fight was awarded the Fight of the Night bonus.
Kattar faced Renato Moicano on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Kattar faced promotional newcomer Chris Fishgold on October 27, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 138. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. By the bout, Kattar fulfilled his first four-fight contract with the UFC.
Kattar faced Ricardo Lamas at UFC 238 on June 8, 2019. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.
Kattar was scheduled to face Zabit Magomedsharipov on October 18, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 6. However, Magomedsharipov was removed from the card due to injury on September 13 and the pairing was rescheduled for the following month at UFC on ESPN+ 21. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Kattar was scheduled to face Jeremy Stephens on April 18, 2020 at UFC 249. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020. At the weigh-ins on May 8, Stephens missed weight, weighing in at 150.5 pounds, 4.5 pounds over the non-title featherweight limit. As a result, the bout proceeded as a catchweight bout and Stephens was fined 20% of his purse which went to Kattar. Kattar won the fight via technical knockout in round two.
The first bout of his new six-fight contract came against Dan Ige on July 16, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige. Kattar won the fight via unanimous decision.
Next, Kattar faced former UFC Featherweight champion Max Holloway, while headlining UFC on ABC 1 on January 16, 2021. In a one-sided fight where Kattar suffered plenty of physical trauma due to Holloway's strikes, which set multiple UFC records, he was defeated by unanimous decision. Despite being a one-sided fight, both competitors earned the Fight of the Night award as Kattar was able to land powerful strikes of his own, despite all the damage he received.
Kattar faced Giga Chikadze on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32. He won the fight via unanimous decision after knocking down and almost finishing Chikadze in the final seconds of the bout. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Kattar faced Josh Emmett on June 18, 2022 in the main event at UFC on ESPN 37. He lost the close bout via split decision. 14 of 19 MMA media outlets scored the bout in favor of Kattar. This fight earned him his third consecutive Fight of the Night award.
Kattar faced Arnold Allen on October 29, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 213. He lost the fight via technical knockout following a knee injury.
Kattar faced former UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on April 13, 2024 at UFC 300. Kattar lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Kattar was scheduled to face Kyle Nelson on September 7, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 242. However, Kattar withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Steve Garcia.
Kattar faced Youssef Zalal on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Fight of the Night (Five times) vs. Shane Burgos, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Max Holloway, Giga Chikadze and Josh Emmett.
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2018: Ranked #8 Fight of the Year vs. Shane Burgos
*** 2020: Ranked #9 Knockout of the Year vs. Jeremy Stephens
*** 2022: Ranked #8 Fight of the Year vs. Giga Chikadze
* MMAJunkie.com
** 2020 May Knockout of the Month vs. Jeremy Stephens

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 32 matches | 23 wins | 9 losses |
| By knockout | 11 | 1 |
| By submission | 2 | 1 |
| By decision | 10 | 7 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 23–9 | Youssef Zalal | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues | February 15, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–8 | Aljamain Sterling | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 300 | April 13, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–7 | Arnold Allen | TKO (knee injury) | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen | October 29, 2022 | 2 | 0:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 23–6 | Josh Emmett | Decision (split) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Emmett | June 18, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Austin, Texas, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 23–5 | Giga Chikadze | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze | January 15, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Loss | 22–5 | Max Holloway | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar | January 16, 2021 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 22–4 | Dan Ige | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Ige | July 16, 2020 | 5 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 21–4 | Jeremy Stephens | KO (elbows) | UFC 249 | May 9, 2020 | 2 | 2:42 | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Catchweight (150.5 lb) bout; Stephens missed weight. |
| Loss | 20–4 | Zabit Magomedsharipov | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar | November 9, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 20–3 | Ricardo Lamas | KO (punches) | UFC 238 | June 8, 2019 | 1 | 4:06 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | |
| Win | 19–3 | Chris Fishgold | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith | October 27, 2018 | 1 | 4:11 | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada | |
| Loss | 18–3 | Renato Moicano | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 223 | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Brooklyn, New York, United States | |
| Win | 18–2 | Shane Burgos | TKO (punches) | UFC 220 | January 20, 2018 | 3 | 0:32 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–2 | Andre Fili | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 214 | July 29, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 16–2 | Chris Foster | Decision (unanimous) | CES 38: Soriano vs. Makashvili | September 23, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 15–2 | Kenny Foster | Decision (split) | CES 34: Curtis vs. Burrell | April 1, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 14–2 | Gabriel Baino | Decision (unanimous) | Combat Zone 44: Steel Cage Fighters | June 14, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Win | 13–2 | Saul Almeida | Decision (unanimous) | CES 13: Real Pain | October 6, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Providence, Rhode Island, United States | |
| Win | 12–2 | Cody Stevens | Decision (unanimous) | Combat Zone 39: Smack Down at the Rock | October 21, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | Featherweight debut. |
| Win | 11–2 | Luiz Rodrigues | Decision (unanimous) | Combat Zone 36: Smashing on the Rock | January 28, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Chris Connor | TKO (punches) | Combat Zone 33: Massacre in the Meadow | June 19, 2010 | 1 | 3:40 | Gilford, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Jeff Anderson | TKO (punches) | Xtreme Championship Fight League 2 | March 26, 2010 | 3 | 4:05 | Lowell, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Loss | 8–2 | Don Carlo-Clauss | Decision (split) | Xtreme Championship Fight League 1 | February 6, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 8–1 | Andrew Montanez | Decision (unanimous) | American Steel Cagefighting 2 | September 11, 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Win | 7–1 | Rodrigo Almeida | Submission (guillotine choke) | World Championship Fighting 7 | June 27, 2009 | 1 | 2:16 | Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 6–1 | Jonathan Bermudez | TKO (punches) | Combat Zone 27: The Rock 2 | February 6, 2009 | 1 | 0:29 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Bobby Diaz | Submission (triangle choke) | World Championship Fighting 5 | November 14, 2008 | 1 | 1:21 | Wilmington, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Kevin Roddy | KO (punches) | Combat Zone 26: The Rock | September 26, 2008 | 1 | 0:47 | Salem, New Hampshire, United States | |
| Loss | 3–1 | James Jones | Submission (rear-naked choke) | EliteXC: Primetime | May 31, 2008 | 1 | 4:49 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Bob Pupa | TKO (submission to punches) | Combat Zone 24: Renaissance | October 13, 2007 | 1 | 0:51 | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Donald Peters | TKO (punches) | Combat Zone 23: Down and Out | August 25, 2007 | 1 | N/A | Revere, Massachusetts, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Tony Armijo | TKO (punches) | Combat Zone 22: Cage Masters 3 | June 23, 2007 | 1 | 2:02 | Derry, New Hampshire, United States | |